President Luis Abinader opened the debates on education at the UN headquarters within the framework of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He spoke of the country’s investing 4% of GDP in education for the past decade. The meeting on Tuesday, 24 September 2024, sought to highlight enabling conditions and investment in education for a better future in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Regional leaders, international organizations, and development experts gathered at the high-level event to address the future of education in Latin America and the Caribbean. The event was convened by the Government of the Dominican Republic, with the support of the Government of Chile and in collaboration with multilateral organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, ECLAC, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE), and the Varkey Foundation. The objective was to generate concrete commitments to transform public education in the region.
“Education cannot wait. Educational transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean is essential to ensure a sustainable and equitable future. From UNESCO, we have made an urgent call to the region’s governments to increase investment in education. This is not just a human right; it is the foundation for inclusive economic and social development. Education is the key to overcoming inequality and creating opportunities for everyone,” Esther Kuisch Laroche, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean had said in announcing the event.
As part of the afternoon agenda, President Luis Abinader would open the session with a call for countries in the region to commit to educational investment as a matter of state priority. Following this, the renowned global economist, Jeffrey Sachs, will deliver a keynote speech on the urgency of financing education as a driver for regional economic development, highlighting the opportunities and consequences of investment in this key sector.
On the program also was a political dialogue featuring Dominican Minister of Economy, Planning and Development Pável Isa Contreras; Nicolás Cataldo, Minister of Education of Chile, among other senior officials, who would discuss strategies to increase investment and make educational spending more efficient.
Additionally, key civil society actors, such as Amelia Vicini from Fundación Inicia, Agustín Porres from the Varkey Foundation, Nelsy Lizarazo from CLADE, and youth representatives, were on the program to share their perspectives on the demand for the right to education and the need for a social pact to ensure the financing required to meet the SDG 4 targets.
The event was designed as a platform for an urgent call to action. Regional leaders and representatives from multilateral organizations, including Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF Global Director for Public Partnerships, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Ilan Goldfajn, President of the IDB, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, and Pablo Bartol, CAF’s Manager of Social and Human Development, and Mario Jabonero, OEI’s general director, will present their commitments to support educational transformation through adequate financing and interinstitutional collaboration.
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25 September 2024